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Hevi-Steel Reviewby L.P. Brezny
New Information Changes the Performance Profile of Hevi-Steel
In a previous issue of Gundogs Online, I wrote about the lack luster performance of Hevi-Steel shotshell ammunition as applied to South Dakota ring necks. I indicated at that time that Hevi-Steel in a #4 pellet size just didn’t have the needed punch required when taking on tough old ring neck pheasants. Well folks, I think I overstated the situation to some degree, and now I need to set the record straight.
Hevi-Steel has for some time been a rather tough nut to crack in terms of evaluating its performance. To some degree I’m sure that what I have observed regarding Hevi-Steel performance is not the makings of fiction, but real world events that point to the fact that a #4 pellet in steel shot, or in this case even Hevi-Steel has a sort tight envelope of effectiveness. However, with that point stated, the working range of Hevi-Steel could well be a bit better than what I have eluded to in the previous evaluation, and a second industry test hunt at Mitchell, South Dakota this fall proved this element of learned knowledge clearly.
This adventure started with a call from Lee Harstad of the South Dakota Department of Tourism. Lee wanted some shooters and writers to tag along on a local Mitchell, South Dakota and Cabela’s sporting goods stores sponsored pheasant hunt. By bringing a group writers and video sports channel folks together the hunt would make for an interesting event, especially in light of the fact that Lee was willing to allow me to use the hunt as still another ammunition test base.
With my previous lack luster results associated with #4 Hevi-Steel during the early local weekend outing on pheasants I was again interested in seeing what the early effects would be if I supplied hunters with some of the very same ammunition we had previously used. It was not that I wanted to create a cripple reference once again, but I did want to give this new, different non-toxic ammunition a fair and level playing field across the board.
Starting our hunt with the folks at K&M Hunting out of Plankinton, South Dakota, our guide and top gun, Michael Miller, put us into a standing corn field with no less than four darn good dogs across the line of 10 hunters. The field was not very dirty and as such any cripple recovered would be an easy chase for any good dog, and if wounded and recovered I would have a very good chance to study the net effects of the Hevi-Steel fodder.
I had passed a case of Hevi-Steel shotshells out to anyone that wanted to give them a try. I had indicated that I had seen some previous problems during that early hunt, but none the less, all of the hunters saved for David Draper, the representative from Cabela’s, were willing to give the loads in both #2 and #4 Hevi-Steel a try. Dave was shooting a 16 gauge side by side that he dearly loved when taking on ringneck pheasants. I didn’t blame him a bit for wanting to stay with his old and trusted smoke pole.
Now with Vern and Jeff Boer of Wild Dakota Production getting this event on film we raised the first single rooster that was promptly dropped stone dead by way of a load of #4 Hevi-Steel shot. At about 43 yards, and in a light wind, the bird just seemed to be crushed by the 1 1/8 oz. charge of iron shot pellets.
After several birds were harvested a major push along a very grown over shelter belt produced still additional birds in quantity. I was seeing the previous trouble, some #4 Hevi-Steel turn around almost a full 360 degrees in terms of performance. While the dogs did indeed have to chase down a few odd birds, for the most part it was shoot and pick with little or no difficulties observed by the lab retrievers.
Thinking back to the drawing board, and the use of Perma Gel ordnance gelatin which had indicted very workable penetration at 40 yards, I started to gain a working picture of what had transpired on the early hunt. With an increase in wind, hunting some deep GFP production grasslands, and very rangy roosters, it had all seeming added up to just a bit too much for the dogs, and a load that was working right on its effectiveness edge.
Over the course of two days we had shot limits for 10 hunters that had resulted in a data base regarding warm targets that stood at one bird completely lost that even four dogs could not find, and one bird sailed that was not recoverable due to the extreme distance. This was quite a switch from the excess number of cripples shot during my first field encounter with Hevi-Steel #4’s.
In terms of my own experience with the loads, I shot the very same choke gun I had used previously. On two occasions I crush roosters that were overhead side slipping shots from my position that required me to flank about 75 yards ahead of the drivers on the field edge. These shots were long to the point of covering at least 55 yards. It would seem that if Hevi-Steel #4’s is not getting the daylights kicked out of it by high winds it can hold up velocity quite well. Peak performance velocity is still at about 40 yards, or 10 yards better than standard iron shot #4’s, but when my partner, MD Johnson, a fellow writer, dusted off a 75 yard rooster stone dead with three pellets under the wing and into the lungs, I was being shown a whole new book of rules surrounding Hevi-Steel #4’s.
Conclusions
Even with those “golden BB” hits by MD Johnson that are not at all explainable according to pure math, and hard computer ballistics data, it can be stated that for the most-part keep a close eye on both range and field conditions when using any form of #4’s in Hevi-Steel, or even standard steel shot products.
Because K&M Hunting did indeed retain a great bunch of fields and those much better than average bird dogs, yes, just about anything that can knock a bird out of the sky will tend to look good when the tally is taken by days end. However, I did get the chance to take nine birds home that were dressed for the table, and I found that those #4 steel were penetrating adequately with an average range of 45 yards, and hits on birds tended to stand at an average of four pellets.
As to still another side note. Those hunters all had ample chances to shoot at least two other load brands and shot types on that second hunt with K&M Hunting. The fact is the full case of #4 and #2 mixed Hevi-Steel became the loads of choice even when I had made it clear that my test was completed as per the full second day of hunting. By choice, hunters continued to shoot the Hevi-Steel loads, and the testing continued as a direct result of their choices in the available ammunition.
In terms of my thinking on this subject by way of both hunts illustrated here in Gundogs Online, I believe that by staying with the larger #2’s as an overall game load being decoying ducks, pheasants, or even jack rabbits, and yes, we did pop a few for the table. Hevi-Steel can get it done.
Priced at about $18.00 for 25 shotshells, but by just pulling back range a bit, keeping track of field conditions and dog quality, you can save a bunch of money by turning to these newer types of low budget non-toxic light tungsten game loads.
As a side note, I finished my e-mail with the folks at Enviornmetal early in the week then this review was sent to the editor of GundogsOnline. Enviornmetal was already taking a look at upgrading the #4 Hevi-Steel load and starting to use a new higher density level pellet. This is all in the testing stages as of this writing, but to be sure the folks at this non-toxic load supplier are thinking hard about developing a slightly higher priced Hevi-Steel load, but one that won’t have a reduced effectiveness edge when conditions start to turn ugly afield. I have been informed by Enviornmetal that I will receive field test samples to run against Perma Gel ordnance gelatin, chronograph equipment, and also put up against warm targets here in South Dakota later this coming year. With luck, late season pheasants, and warm spring water ducks.
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